


Thank You For Being a Friend

by Thatonegayone



Category: The Prom (2020), The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: And Alyssa getting a new friend, F/F, Just Dee Dee being a mom, TW for an unhealthy relationship, filling in what happened between Alyssa coming out and the actual prom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28402752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatonegayone/pseuds/Thatonegayone
Summary: Kids were never in Dee Dee Allen's life plan, but when she finds herself in the middle of Indiana to try and get some good PR, she ends up building a friendship that she never anticipated
Relationships: Alyssa Greene & Dee Dee Allen, Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 12
Kudos: 90





	Thank You For Being a Friend

Dee Dee watched on, heartbroken as Emma held her sobbing girlfriend while that horrid Mrs. Greene stormed out of the gym. 

Kids had never been in the cards for Dee Dee. Between her disaster marriage with Eddie, to morning sickness and a baby bump not being conducive to eight shows a week, having a kid was off the table. But seeing this young girl watch her mother walk away awoke some sort of maternal instinct inside of Dee Dee, and she felt an ache in her heart to take care of someone that she had never felt before.

The minute they passed off gym decorating duties to some very kind volunteers, Dee Dee made a beeline for Emma and the girl. 

“Dee Dee!” Emma grinned at the approaching Tony Award Winner. “Alyssa, this is Dee Dee. She’s like the entire reason this prom is happening.” 

“Oh please,” Dee Dee scoffed with her knee-jerk faux humility. “I’m just bankrolling it. You’re the real reason, kid.” She gave Emma a kind, genuine smile. Dee Dee would never admit it out loud, but she was incredibly impressed by the blonde. 

Alyssa held out her hand, “it’s very nice to officially meet you, Dee Dee.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Dee Dee said, shaking her hand. “I was wondering if you needed someplace to get ready? I just — after that conversation with your mother, I completely understand if you don’t want to go home right now.” 

A thread of pain stitched Alyssa’s eyebrows together, but she regained control over her face and slapped on a smile. “Uh, yeah. I don’t entirely know if she’ll— oh god. I don’t have a dress or anything.” 

Dee Dee’s eyes lit up as she put her arm around the girl’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about that! We can go shopping, my treat!” She saw Tom watching her intently, so Dee Dee threw him a wink as she led Alyssa to an uber waiting outside. 

They sat in awkward silence as they drove to the mall — Dee Dee was normally great at conversation, but that conversation usually had to center around her. This New and Improved Dee Dee Allen was trying to be less self-centered, and it proved to be a challenge. It wasn’t until they walked into the Dillards that Dee Dee cleared her throat and asked, “so, what’s your dream dress?”

Alyssa’s eyes went wide as she looked around at the hundreds of dresses on display around her. “Oh! Uh– well, my mom normally buys all my clothes, including my dress for the other prom,” she looked down at her shoes as if she was ashamed of being forced to go to the first dance. “So, I don’t know.”

Dee Dee just nodded and put her hands on Alyssa’s shoulders. “I’m going to do something that my dear friend, Anna Wintour, did with me when she dressed me for my first Tony Awards. Close your eyes.” Alyssa looked at her uncertainty but obeyed. “You’re at the prom. The music is blaring. There are smiling, excited kids all around you in the gym. You’re in the middle of the dance floor, underneath the disco ball with Emma. She spins you around, and you both laugh and dance the night away. It’s perfect.” 

Alyssa’s face split into a massive grin as Dee Dee spoke. 

“Now, look down. What are you wearing? What color is it? What does it look like?”

Alyssa furrowed her brows as she visualized her perfect dress. “It’s a dress. Not super short, but still fun to twirl in. And it’s sparkly! And pink. But not baby pink, it’s a deeper pink.” 

“Perfect,” Dee Dee squeezed her shoulders as Alyssa opened her eyes. “Now, let’s find it.” 

They searched for an hour, going into any store that sold formalwear. It wasn’t until they stopped into a little boutique that Alyssa gasped at a dress sitting on a mannequin in the back of the store — as if it was hidden away just for her to find. 

“Dee Dee,” Alyssa blindly tried to grab the woman’s hand. “Dee Dee, do you see it too?” 

Dee Dee couldn’t help but chuckle at Alyssa’s awed whisper, “yes, I see it too. Is that the one?” 

Alyssa just nodded and moved to check the size tag on the collar of the dress. “Can I try it on?” 

“I don’t think I’m the one you have to ask. Let me grab the clerk.” Dee Dee left Alyssa, who was still staring at the dress. She found a mousy looking woman behind the register, “hi, we’re interested in that dress in the back. Can you get it off the mannequin so she can try it on?” 

“The dress in the back?” The woman squeaked as she took in Dee Dee. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but that’s just a display piece. It’s not for sale.” 

Dee Dee just raised her right brow. “Yeah, that’s not going to work. You see that girl over there?” She gestured toward Alyssa, who was almost vibrating with excitement over the dress. “She’s been through Hell for the past few years. Tonight means everything to her, and that means I’m willing to pay however much it takes to get her into that dress so she can have the night of her life.” 

The store clerk paled at Dee Dee’s calm, menacing words, “yes, of course. Let me get a dressing room started for you.” She scampered off, and Dee Dee just adjusted her purse on her arm and walked back to Alyssa. 

“You could give my mom a run for her money,” Alyssa sounded almost impressed, if not a little intimidated. 

“You’re just saying that.” 

“No, I’m not.” Alyssa’s voice went soft, “I’ve never really had someone other than my mom stand up for me like that before.” 

“Well,” Dee Dee put her arm around Alyssa’s shoulders and gave her a small hug, “you should get used to it because I’m in your corner now.” 

Alyssa just looked up at her with gratitude shining in her eyes, “thanks.” 

“Of course,” Dee Dee watched as the clerk took the dress off of the mannequin and nudged Alyssa towards the waiting dressing room. “Go ahead and try it on. I’m going to look at some shoes. What’s your size?” 

“Seven and a half!” Alyssa called from the dressing room. Her voice muffled from the curtain. 

Dee Dee hummed a little ditty to herself as she perused the small array of shoes, stopping in interest at a simple pair of silver heels. They weren’t tall by any means, but then again, Emma wasn’t that much taller than Alyssa from what she noticed. Dee Dee found the box marked 7½ and made her way back to the dressing room. 

“Are you almost done in there?” Dee Dee half-sung through the curtain. 

“Yeah, can you help zip me up?” Alyssa said softly, peeking her head out from behind the curtain with a nervous look in her eye. 

Dee Dee nodded and motioned for the girl to turn around so she could pull up the zipper. Just like she expected, it fit like a glove. “Alright, give me a twirl.” 

Alyssa spun around with a big smile on her face as the dress swirled out under her. The sequins caught the light better than any disco ball that Dee Dee’s money could buy. 

“Does it look good?” Alyssa asked nervously. 

“Of course it does,” Dee Dee handed over the shoe box. “Slip these on, and you’ll be perfect.” 

Alyssa took the box with a giddy laugh and little dance and used Dee Dee’s shoulder to balance as she slipped the shoes on. She grew a few inches and turned to look at herself in the mirror. Alyssa’s breath caught in her chest, and Dee Dee watched over the girl’s shoulder as Alyssa finally saw herself in her dream dress. 

“Oh my gosh,” Alyssa sounded breathless as she looked at herself from every single angle. “My mom would never let me buy something like this.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing that I’m getting it for you,” Dee Dee chuckled. She felt her heart grow a little at the smile on Alyssa’s face. “Get changed, and then we’ll grab a bite before we get ready. Sound good?”

Alyssa practically jumped back into the dressing room. Dee Dee swiped her card, and they both watched as the dress was folded up into a bag on top of the shoes. The clerk handed the bag to Alyssa, and the two women walked towards the food court. 

Dee Dee ordered a salad from the pizza place that claimed to be “real New York pizza,” and she watched as Alyssa chowed down on a ten-piece McNugget meal with a large fry. Alyssa was half-way through when she noticed the smirk on Dee Dee’s face. 

“Mom never lets me eat stuff like this,” she explained as a blush colored her cheeks. “I just—” 

Dee Dee just held her hands up, “no judgment here. When I was with my ex-husband, he would always make these little comments about what I ate. Like an evil little gnat always buzzing in the back of my head.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. I’m in a better place now.” Dee Dee said with a smile. She realized just how true those words were. For a while, it felt like nothing would ever get better, but slowly and surely, it did. It only took a lot of ice cream, a few Broadway Cruises, and a few very good friends. “Anyway, it looks like it’s time to go get pretty — well, prettier — for tonight.” 

Alyssa folded up her bag of fries and picked up the shopping bag while Dee Dee ordered an uber to the motel. They giggled and shared fries on the ride home while Alyssa shared a story about a secret date she had with Emma that ended up with the two of them trying to fix Emma’s overheated truck in the middle of a dirt road. 

Dee Dee hung up and steamed Alyssa’s dress while the girl took a shower in the motel room. If there was anything Dee Dee knew better than an eleven o’clock number, it was the power of a shower — even a quick one. Showers are there so people can wash off all the emotional grime of the day, and if anyone needed that today, it was Alyssa Greene. 

She came out of the bathroom in a fluffy bathrobe that Dee Dee had brought from New York, with her hair up in a top knot. Dee Dee patted the seat of the chair facing the bed where she had laid out all the makeup she owned (as well as some foundations that she bought to try and match Alyssa’s skin tone). Alyssa sat down and let Dee Dee pick out eyeshadow colors. 

“Dee Dee?” Dee Dee just hummed in response, focused on the color story she was trying to tell. “Thank you for today. You didn’t have to do all of this for me, and I just— thank you.” 

Dee Dee sighed and sat down on the bed across from Alyssa, “do you know why I wanted to help you?” Alyssa shook her head and leaned forward just a little in her seat. 

“I was unhappy for a very long time. My ex-husband was a money-mooching bastard — still is — and he made me feel horrible about myself every single day. But, no matter how I was feeling inside, I had to plaster on a smile and go to work and pretend that everything was okay. Thing is, I never had the chance to really tell him how I felt until the divorce, and even then, I was still so broken inside. I would do my show for the night, then come home and drown my sorrows in ice cream and gin. It wasn’t until I had people supporting me and telling me that it was okay to feel how I felt that I started to get better. I saw the way you walked into that gym before you came out to your mother, and I felt like I saw myself back then.” 

Dee Dee did her best to swallow down the lump of tears in her throat. “I want you to know that I’m here for you. If you need someone to call on a bad day or someone to provide some motherly wisdom or anything like that, I’m here for you.” 

Alyssa launched herself out of the chair and gave Dee Dee a crushing hug. “Thank you.” Her voice was small and soft but filled with emotion. 

“Of course, kid.” Dee Dee said, returning the hug. She cleared her throat of the lump, “now, let’s get you ready to go see your girl.” 

Dee Dee had to admit, the gym looked good, but her main focus was the way that Alyssa and Emma were looking at each other in awe. She watched as they spun and danced around the floor, and she couldn’t help but smile. 

Various teenagers started to flood the gym with smiles, sparkles, and pure joy, followed closely by Mrs. Greene. 

Dee Dee saw the way Alyssa tensed up and immediately put her hands on the girl’s shoulders to try and give her some support. Dee Dee watched as the two Greene women spoke and reconnected, and she knew that deep in her soul, she did something good. 

* * *

“And that’s when Emma slipped—” 

“On a banana peel?” Dee Dee wheezed. “I thought that wasn’t real!” 

Alyssa fanned herself to try and get some air, “so did she! She was convinced it was ‘cartoon propaganda.’” 

“God, I don’t know how you two don’t have a punch card for the ER by now,” Dee Dee laughed, taking a sip of her espresso to try and calm down. 

“You think she’d have grown out of the clumsiness by now, but nope!” Alyssa took a bite of her blueberry muffin. “Anyway, how are you? How’s Hawkins?” 

“Tom’s fine! He’s enjoying his early retirement and has been talking about possibly getting into producing.” 

“Ooooh, fancy,” Alyssa shimmied her shoulders a little. 

“Very. He wants to produce my next show,” Dee Dee set her cup back down on the table. She could see a few young men across the coffee shop, looking at her with reverence. Dee Dee gave a small nod and couldn’t help but smile at how giddy they were at the simple gesture. “Tom insists I should do Evita next to spite The Post.” 

Alyssa just laughed before leaning forward a little, “and how are you?” 

“I’m doing well. Tom is a dream, and once you and Emma give me a kid to spoil with gifts and love, I’ll be perfect.” 

Alyssa rolled her eyes, “you sound like my mom. Emma and I have only been married for a few months. We want to get fully settled before we look into kids.” 

“I’m just saying,” Dee Dee had a glimmer in her eye. “You’d look very cute pregnant. It’d fit you.” 

“We’ll see,” Alyssa sighed. “I want kids and a family, and I’m just so excited to be able to have one with Emma.” 

“I’m happy for you, honey,” Dee Dee reached across the table and patted Alyssa’s hand. “Are we still on for next week?” 

“You ask me that every time. Of course, we are. It’s not a  _ weekly _ coffee date if it’s not every week.” 

“I know, it’s just you’re so busy with work. I just wanted to check.” Dee Dee said, gathering her coat and purse to prep for the crisp New York fall. Alyssa followed suit after depositing their used cups in the ‘dirty’ bin. 

“I’ll see you next week, if not before,” Alyssa gave Dee Dee an air kiss on both cheeks before she ran out towards the subway. 

Dee Dee turned towards the young men who were watching her with a smile, “would you boys like a picture?” They both nodded and jumped up to each get a selfie with her as they talked a mile-a-minute about how they were huge fans. Dee Dee just smiled and said, “how about you come to the show tonight. I’ll save two tickets for you under my name. Just tell Deborah in the ticket office.” 

Kids were never in Dee Dee’s life plan, but as she walked away from her weekly coffee date with Alyssa, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that she was given a chance at her own form of motherhood. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my loves!!!


End file.
